Mixer spinner assembly



Aug. 27, I957 G. E. KAUFMAN MIXER SPINNER ASSEMBLY 2 Shee tS-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 10, 1954 Fig.

Aug. 27, 1957 G. E. KAUFMAN MIXER SPINNER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. m, 1954 Hi a w United States 2,804,290 Patented Aug. 27, 1957 MIXER SPINNER ASSEMBLY George E. Kaufman, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hfogyleir Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation 0 Application September 10, 1954, Serial No. 455,326

3 Claims. (Cl. 259-135) The present invention relates to drink mixers and more particularly to a high-speed spinner mixer in which the spinner shaft is directly connected to the armature shaft of a multiple purpose portable mixer unit.

Where a spinner shaft is of the desired length and is directly connected to the high-speed armature shaft of such a portable unit, the lower end of the shaft has a tendency to whip i. e., the lower end of the mixer shaft, in addition to rotating about its own axis, also moves in the arc of a circle with the result that the mixer blade does likewise and thus does not perform its function properly.

The present invention overcomes that difiiculty by providing a spinner assembly in which the spinner shaft proper rotates within a supporting tube or housing which prevents the lower end of the spinner shaft from whipping. The entire assembly is detachably connected to the mixer unit housing in a novel manner.

The suporting tube itself has a snap-on connection with a complementary socket in the power unit housing. The mixer shaft is detachably and drivingly connected to the armature shaft of the mixer unit by a driving connector which performs a number of novel functions. The connector is made of a frangible material preferably nylon, which will rupture or shear if the mixer blade should become tangled in clothing or otherwise stopped abruptly. It has a spherical portion which interfits with the centering hole in the armature shaft to make the assembly self-aligning. It has a cylindrical bore which is detachably and drivingly connected to the upper end of the spinner shaft so as to be easily replaceable. The cylindrical bore and spherical portion coact to make it unnecessary to have an upper bearing for the spinner shaft. The driving connector is spring biased away from the spinner shaft toward the armature shaft so that pressure is applied to the lower bearing for the spinner shaft to thus form a seal to prevent liquids from entering the supporting tube. The spinner connector has a lug which coacts with a kerf in the armature shaft and being spring biased away from the spinner shaft the lug will snap upwardly into the kerf when either shaft is rorated relative to the other. Thus, there is no need to align the lug and kerf when the spinner assembly is applied to the mixer unit.

At its lower end the spinner shaft is shouldered and enters the bore of a nylon bearing which thus forms a combined radial and thrust bearing as well as a running seal.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a portable mixer unit mounted on a mixing container showing how the spinner asse. bly of the present invention is used in practice,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the spinner assembly of the present invention shown attached to a mixer unit, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the driving connector partly in section to show the internal construction.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings a general purpose mixer unit is indicated by the reference numeral 10. The unit 10 includes a handle 11 by which it may be carried about for ordinary mixing purposes and an electrical cord 13' for connection to any suitable electrical outlet, any suitable switch being provided for energizing the unit.

The unit 10 is provided with the usual shaft outlets in the side of the casing opposite the handle 11 for driving a pair of food mixers for ordinary mixing operations. For use as a drink mixer, the unit is provided with the spinner assembly of the present invention, generally indicated by the reference numeral 12. The end'of the handle 11 is formed to fit into a socket 13 formed in the top of the handle 14 of a mixing cup 15 so as to support the unit 10 with the spinner assembly 12 extending vertically centrally of the cup 15.

' The spinner assembly 12 includes an outer tube 16, the upper end of which is detachably connected in a socket 17 formed in the casing 18 of the unit 10. The casing 18 is recessed at 19 to receive the lower transversely extending arms 20 of a latch 21, the upper end of which fits beneath a protuberance 22 formed near the upper end of tube 16. The casing 18 is recessed at 23 to receive the latch 21 and is provided with a shoulder 24 against which the protuberance 22 abuts to limit the movement of the assembly 12 into the socket 17.

A spinner shaft 25 of a smaller outside diameter than the inside diameter of tube 16 is rotatably mounted within the tube 16 by means of a combined radial and thrust bearing 26, the shaft 25 being shouldered at 27 so as to abut against the upper end of the bearing 26 and form a running seal between the bearing 26 and the spinner shaft 25. The bearing 26 is preferably made of nylon, has a tight fit in the bore of the tube 16 and a running fit with the reduced portion 28 of shaft 25, the reduced portion 28 being undercut at 29 to provide for the expansion of the material of the bearing. The bearing 26 is held in place by a tang 30 struck inwardly from the lower end of the wall of the tube 16, the bearing being recessed as shown to receive the tang 30.

At its upper end the shaft 25 is drivingly connected to the armature shaft 31 and supported centrally of the tube 16 by a driving connector generally indicated by the reference numeral 32 and shown per se in Fig. 3.

The connector 32 is provided with a spherical portion 33 which coacts with the center hole 33' of the armature shaft 31 to render the assembly self-aligning and to center it within the tube 16. A driving lug 34 on the upper end of the assembly 32 coacts with a kerf 35 in the shaft 31 to form a driving connection.

The body of the connector is of smaller outside diameter than the inside diameter of the tube 16 and is bored at 36 to fit a reduced portion 37 of the spinner shaft 25. Outwardly extending recesses 38 are formed in the wall of the connector 32 and communicate with the bore 36 to coact with protuberances 39 formed on the reduced portion 37 of the spinner shaft 25 to form a driving connection between the connector 32 and the spinner shaft 25. A spring 40 is housed within the bore 36 of the connector 32 to press the driving lug 34, upwardly into the kerf 35 and to press the spinner shaft 25 downward ly to engage the shoulder 27 with the upper end of bearing 36 and thus to form a running seal at the lower end of the assembly 12.

The lower end of the spinner shaft 25 is internally threaded to receive a screw 41 which engages the lower face of a flexible spinner blade 42, a washer 43 being interposed between the upper face of the blade 42 and the lower end of bearing 26,

v I i A-ssemb l-y anddiMssemb ly- To assemble the spinner/assembly 12 to the mixer power unit mb. is only necessary to. place the end of: the

tube -I61into the socket :17 andpressinwardly. .Theproa tuberance 22 will-press the upper end of: the latch. 21 outwardly and permit the protuberancem engagetheshoulder. 24. The upper end. of the latch will drop behind the protuberance 12 to hold the assembly 12 in place.

If the-lug, 34' happens to be. in alignment the kerfl 35,.tlie spri'ng40' will force the connector 32 inwardly so as to engage the lug 3'4 with the kerf 3'5and press. the

27 downwardly against the top of the bearing 26 to form a running sealv v the, big" 34 and kenf 35' happen to be out ofali-gnmerit the spring. 40 willbe compressed. When either shaft. is rotatedrelativet o the other, the above engage: ment willtake place automatically. Thus, it is not necess'ary for the operator to align the lug 3'4 andkerf 35 prior to assembling the assembly 12: into the socket I7. The centering action of the connector 32 also renders it unnecessary to provide an upper bearing for the spinner shaft '25.

If for any reason the spinner blade should become stalled or blocked; the lug 34 will snap off and no. harm can be done. To replace such a broken connector, the assembly 12 is merely pulled from the socket 17, the broken connector pulled out of the open end of the tube 1 6, the spring 40 remov=ed from the broken connector and placed in the' bore 3'6 of a' new connector 32 and the new connector slid over the reduced end 37 of shaft 25, it being, necessary to" align the recesses 38' with the protuberances 39.

From the foregoing it can be seen that this invention provides a spinner assembly which is easily attached to' and detached from a portable mixer power unit, which prevents the free end of the spinner shaft from whipping, in which the spinner shaft is automatically aligned with the armature shaft and in which'it is unnecessary to provide 'anupper bearingfor the spinner shaft nor to provide asepanateseal at the spinner end of the shaft.

While I have shown and described but a single embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that that embodiment is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not Wish to be limited to the specific structure shown and described but wish to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the'cl-aims.

1 claim:

1. In combination: a port-able mixer power unit including a casing; a socket formed in -said casing, an armatureshaft extending into said socket; a spinner unit; said spinner unit including a supporting tube having one end extending into said socket, aspinner shaft of smaller outside diameter than the inside diameter of said tube rotatably mounted within said tube, a hearing at the lower end of said tube for rotatably supporting the lower end of said shaft within the lower end-of said tube, the upper end of said shaft being out of contact with the interior of said tube and free to move sidewa-rd the-rein when said spinner unit is not attached to said power unit, and a spinner blade attached to the lower end of said spinner shaft; and a replaceable driving connector detachably connected to the upper end of said spinner shaft and coacting with said power shaft and said spinner shaft for drivingly connecting them; means for detachably' securing the upper end of said tube within said socket and centering means on the upper end of said driving connector coact-ing with complemental centering means on the lower end of said armature shaft for centering said connector and spinner shaft within the upper end of said tube.

2. A spinner unit for detachable connection to a porttable mixer power unit comprising, a' stationary supporting tube for detachable connection to, the: casing of said. power unit, a spinner shaft of smaller outside diameter than the inside diameter of said tube rotatably mounted within said tube, a bearing-at the lower end of said tube for rotatably supporting the lower end of said spinner shaft, the upper end of said spinner shaft being unsupported radially of said tube and free to move laterally therein when said spinner unit is unattached to said power unit, a driving connector detachably and drivingly connected to the upper end of said spinnerjshaft and alsofi-ee to move laterally in said tube when said spinner unit is unattached to'said powerunit, said" driving connector having centering means on its upper end for coaction with complementalcentering means on-the power shaft of said power unitwhen said spinner unit is attached thereto and operable to center said-spinner shaft and'driving connector within the upper end of said tube when said spinner unit isattached to said power unit, said driving connector also having driving means formed on its upper end for coactionwith complemental driving meanson said armature shaft when said spinner unit isattached to said power unit, and a spinner blade attached to the lower end of said spinner shaft so as to be rotatablethercwith.

I 3. A driving connector for detachablyand drivingly. connecting the spinner shaft of a spinner unit to-the shaft. of amixer'power unit and for centering thespinner shaft. within the casing of the spinner unitwhen the spinner unitis attached to said power unit comprising, a generally cylindrical body having a bore in its lower end for sl-idi [ably receiving the upper end of saidspi-nner shaft and holding. the samefree of the casing of'saidspinner unitwhen the latter is attached to said power unit, recessesforrnedint the interior walls of said connector and opening into said bore for receivingprotuberances on the end of. said spinner shaft for drivingly connecting said connector to. said spinner shaft, the upper end of said connector being formed with av spherical portion for coaction. with a complemented spherical portion on. the. lower end, of: said power shaft for centering said connector and said spinner shaftwithrespect to thecasing of said spinner unit and with a driving lug. extending. across and beyond said spherical. portion. for coaction withv complemental driving means on the lower end of said power shaft. for drivingly connecting said connector to said power shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS. 

